Well you definitely haven’t if you work for CR England. CR England is still hiring even through the recession, but not all carriers are.
This article is about the many other truck drivers out there that have been hearing the whispers about layoffs. Rumor has it that after the holiday rush is over, there may be layoffs coming. They may or may not be rumors. Only time will tell.
We wanted to throw a few words down here that discussed this issue so students out there can relax when they here the truck stop cowboy chatting away.
You would be surprised to find out that most layoffs in the trucking industry in general involve office staff and not drivers. CR England hasn’t laid off a driver in 90 years. Another thing you should consider is all the “other” people involved with trucking that are relieved before a driver. Other people are chrome shop guys, tire salesman, and the guys who detail trucks. They all count as layoffs because they are in the industry.
Next, the type of carrier you work for could have more layoffs than another. For example, if you were a truck driver working for a small carrier that hauled mostly ice melts, when the winter is over, you may no longer have freight. Also, companies may end up with an abundance of drivers in a particular region because of business activities. A merger might have this effect. Also, if your carrier works primarily in a niche that had a lot of layoffs you might see more layoffs at your company. If you stay away from a carrier that operates in niches than you’ll be fine.
Also, bad drivers get in accidents, deliver late loads, get tickets and accumulate log violations. This creates turnover. Large fleets naturally have turnover, so there is usually no need to layoff truck drivers. That’s why there are so many job boards like National Truck Driving Jobs, and BubbaJunk.
If you’re a student driver, rest assure you will be least likely to get laid off in the trucking industry. The odds are stacked in your favor. Drive safe and provide on time service and you’ll be A OK.